A New Hampshire lawmaker is pushing a bill that would make it easier for families to take over the social media accounts of deceased loved ones.

Rep. Peter Sullivan, D-Manchester, said it's unclear what happens to a person's Facebook page when that person dies.

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"That's a good question, and unfortunately, it seems to change minute to minute or service to service," he said.

Sullivan has authored a bill in Concord putting social networking accounts in the hands of individuals' estates after they pass, allowing executors to disable the accounts or turn them into memorial pages.

"Create some predictability, some stability," Sullivan said. "Let the Internet companies know that families have a right to tie up loose ends and get some closure."

Sullivan said that in many cases, a person's Facebook page will remain active after he or she dies. In a case in Canada, a teenage girl took her own life after being bullied, and the bullying continued online even after her death.

"The family wasn't able to do anything," Sullivan said. "They couldn't go in and delete those comments, and they couldn't take the page down completely."

Facebook and other social networking sites have provisions to disable a page after a member dies, but Sullivan said it can often be difficult and time-consuming.

Some wonder if this is something that can be legislated at the state level. The New Hampshire Bar Association is raising questions related to interstate commerce.

"We understand this is a new frontier, and we are willing to help where we have the expertise to help," said John MacIntosh of the New Hampshire Bar Association.

Several other states are considering similar bills related to the handling of social media accounts for the deceased, but some said that for any real effectiveness, it may require action on the federal level.